Local protest against AIG and corporate America

PHOENIX - Anger over bonus pay to corporate executives spilled into the streets of Phoenix on Thursday.

Union members had a message for corporate America. The Service Employees International Union organized the protest in 35 different states. They want to send a message to Capitol Hill and every company using taxpayer money that they are watching.

Several dozen people gathered outside the AIG building in downtown Phoenix to voice their fury.

SEIU wants the government to focus on the ordinary American worker and their need for adequate housing and healthcare, rather than corporate bailouts. They say those middle-class workers being disenfranchised by the actions of companies like AIG need to take a stand.

Protest organizer Todd Schwarz says the money paid to AIG in bonuses is enough to provide health coverage for 10,000 families for a year or to pay the salaries of 2,500 teachers in Arizona.